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Your View: Letters to the editor (Jan. 2)

Posted:
01/02/2013 01:00:00 AM MST

Huerta's victims

I am responding to an article in the Sound Off!, Saturday 12/15 regarding Dr. Margie Huerta. The author states " it is true that she has some done some good things, but she also left 9 or 10 years of victims."

My family is one of those victims. A child of mine was accepted to the nursing program at the NMSU branch. He was doing extremely well until he started his clinicals at a local nursing home. At that time the nursing home did it's job and got background checks on the students. Unfortunately, he had a couple of blemishes on his record, so he was denied entrance into their facility.

As a nurse in this community, I had forewarned my son that he needed to make sure the school knew about his circumstance. He notified the school and a few of his nursing instructors of his situation. They all assured him there was not a problem. So he went ahead and applied for grants and loans to concentrate on school.

His dream ended after a few months or so of hard work. He is now saddled with student loans and has nothing to show for all his hard work, except debt.

I resent Dr. Huerta and the branch for not doing their job. They should all know the rules and regulations regarding qualifications required for students and inform them of everything that might impede their progress. I feel that Dr. Huerta was more concerned about getting money. We asked her for help regarding the student loans.

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We asked that she explain to the finance department what happened and possibly help in getting rid of the loans that were obtained to earn a degree. Dr. Huerta basically implied it was not her problem and escorted us out of her office.

R. PADILLA, RN

Las Cruces

Bleeding hearts

The bleeding hearts are out in force. They cannot understand why there are not more gun controls. Recall that it is rarely the registered owner of the gun that does the killing.

The shooter in Connecticut used his mother's guns.

The shooter in Washington state stole the guns he used.

The Columbine shooters got their guns from friends.

The Virginia Tech shooter legally purchased his guns.

Raising the bar very high for gun ownership will stop very few murderers from acquiring guns, but would make it much harder for honest citizens to get them and defend themselves.

Chicago is our only major city where gun ownership is illegal and Chicago has the highest murder rate in the nation. In DC, where guns used to be illegal but are now allowed, the murder rate has significantly dropped. Mexico has very strict gun ownership laws and their gun-related violence is much higher than the USA.

There are over 200 million privately owned guns in the USA. All stopping the sales of guns would do is open up the black market.

Instead of gun control, we need a reduction in the wash of violence that hits our young people from the time they are toddlers. Broadcast channels feature glorification of violence. Violent video games constitute a billion dollar a year business.

The debasement of the traditional family and attacks against religion serve to loosen the moral compass of the young.

Consider that increased automation and industrialization of trades has caused meaningful work to dry up. 100 years ago a young man would usually grow up in the trade of his father, and served a long apprenticeship. Now young men grow up playing first person shooter games and have no idea of their life's calling.